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37
periods, does not go bad, and is not affected by hot weather.
There can be no doubt that it provides an excellent substitute, not for
breast milk, and not for really good cows' milk, but for much of the
milk upon which infants are now fed. But even if it were as good in
quality as the milk at the depot, the advantages of the depot system
as a school of infant management would be lost, and even if it were
as good in quality as human milk, it would still be liable to contamination
if improperly used. Still, that it can be well used and
when so used yield excellent results will be clear from the following
table carefully prepared by Mrs. Greenwood, who has made it part
of her business carefully to watch the effect of this Dried Milk.
The facts of the table speak for themselves. The table includes
six Finsbury babies who were fed on Dried Milk under Dr. Franees
M. Harper's supervision, and who had discontinued the Dried Milk
before she left the Leysian Medical Mission Dispensary.
At the time Dr. Harper left eleven Finsbury babies were taking
the Dried Milk, three ceased to use it, but eight continued on the
milk until they were twelve months old. In addition, 36 other
babies have had the Dried Milk for varying periods as shown in the
table.
It should be added that in this experiment it has not been
possible to exert any direct control, as in the Depot work, over the
actual feeding of the children. We have been able to visit and
supervise only to a very limited extent. To be really effective any
such method of feeding calls, of course, for the most careful
supervision of each case to ensure the proper use of the Dried
Milk.